trait

American  

[trayt, tray] / treɪt, treɪ /

noun

• traits
  plural

1. 

   a distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one's personal nature.

   bad traits of character.

   Synonyms:

   property, attribute, mark, peculiarity

2. a pen or pencil stroke.

3. a stroke, touch, or strain, as of some quality.

   a trait of pathos; a trait of ready wit.

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trait British  

/ treɪ, treɪt /

noun

1. a characteristic feature or quality distinguishing a particular person or thing

2. rare a touch or stroke

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trait Scientific  

/ trāt /

1. A genetically determined characteristic or condition. Traits may be physical, such as hair color or leaf shape, or they may be behavioral, such as nesting in birds and burrowing in rodents. Traits typically result from the combined action of several genes, though some traits are expressed by a single gene.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• traits
  plural

Etymology

Origin of trait

First recorded in 1470–80; from Middle French: literally, “something drawn,” from Latin tractus; see tract ¹

Explanation

A trait is something about you that makes you "you." When your mother says that you get all your best traits from her, she means you have the same charming smile and the same brilliant mind as she has. In science, trait refers to a characteristic that is caused by genetics. Having green eyes or being shorter than average are traits a person might have. In more general use, a trait is an important part of someone’s personality or appearance. Try to describe your favorite teacher in three words and you’ll probably come up with a list of her essential traits — such as compassionate, calm, and kooky.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

trait traits

"Physicists call this trait universality -- the messy, microscopic details wash out and only a few essential features survive," explains Jason Alicea, William K. Davis Professor of Theoretical Physics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

MarketWatch: What trait shows up the most among the successful entrepreneurs you studied?

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

Although not as impressive overall as other 2-0 sides, that ability to win games at the death is a familiar trait with Philly - and will make them dangerous all season again.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

The ability to face criticism, and still laugh at one’s self, is a rare trait.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Evolution occurred in scientific progress as it happened in nature: a positive trait was passed along, then proliferated; obsolete characteristics withered away, and the technology and the organization evolved into something new.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly

Although, he joked, his wife may disagree about him not having any of his psychopathic traits left.

From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026

Anthropic showed the religious leaders what the company called “emotional vectors,” or specific artificial neural-network prompts designed to simulate traits like love, fear and anger.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 2, 2026

During Maye’s sensational 2025, he demonstrated two traits that made his game appear mature beyond his years: his ability to avoid turnovers and his touch on deep passes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026

Even so, scientists have spent decades trying to resolve basic questions about how bats evolved and how their most unusual traits developed.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026

Four they are, and four traits we seek: Courage to face their darkest fears Cuming to outwit their foes Strength of arms and mind and heart Loyalty to break the soul.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Related Words

• attribute
• character
• feature
• habit
• idiosyncrasy
• manner
• oddity
• peculiarity
• quality
• quirk
• trick
• virtue